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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

New poll shows Gary McDowell leading Rep. Benishek 46 to 41 percent

RUDYARD, Mich. -- A poll released this morning by House Majority PAC shows Gary McDowell in a clear lead over Republican incumbent Congressman Dan Benishek. The survey revealed that 60 percent of Michigan voters want to replace Benishek and favored Gary McDowell winning 46-41 in a hypothetical rematch.

"Voters and taxpayers in Northern Michigan and the U.P. feel like no one is looking out for them in Washington," said Gary McDowell. "And it’s no wonder they want new leadership. Congressman Benishek promised he would protect Social Security and Medicare last year but one of his first votes was to end Medicare in order to give more tax breaks to the wealthy."

The poll comes on the heels of a recent announcement of Republican Grand Traverse County Commission Chairman Larry Inman voicing concerns over Benishek’s voter outreach work and his ability to hold the seat against Gary McDowell.

"Regular people across all political lines are fed up with our leadership in Washington and they know that Dan Benishek is part of the problem," McDowell continued.

According to the pollster: In Michigan’s 1st District, only 40 percent of voters want to give Congressman Dan Benishek a second term, while 60 percent want to replace him. Congressional Republicans have a 35/54 favorability rating in his district and Benishek’s approval is even lower than that with just 33 percent of voters giving him good marks to 45 percent who disapprove. He trails 2010 opponent Gary McDowell 46-41 in a hypothetical rematch.

Polling in November done by Public Policy Polling indicated that Rep. Benishek only had a 32 percent approval rating and only 36 percent of voters at that time said they would definitely vote to re-elect him.

Click here for more information about the poll.

Editor's Note: To read about Gary McDowell's visit to Hancock, see our Dec. 16, 2011, article, "Dems turn out for Congressional Candidate Gary McDowell at fundraiser in Hancock."

See also our Jan. 3, 2012, article on Rep. Benishek's visit to Mohawk: "U.S. Rep. Benishek meets, greets constituents in Mohawk."

1 comment:

Jon said...

It's good to see some public backlash for a voting record that has consistently supported big oil at the expense of Michigan taxpayers. Benishek (and other MI reps like him) have routinely voted against renewable energy and environmental causes, and I for one will not be voting for Benishek based on his record.